peace



(No Model.) Y 3 Shee'tsSheet 1.

J. B. PEACE.

' SLIDING PARTITION.

4 Patented Jan. 5, 1897.

@Zi INVENTOR My (No Model.) J.B.BEAGE;

SLIDING PARTITION.

-3 Sheets-Sheet 2L Patented Jam 5 1897.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets Sheet 3.

J. B. PEACE. SLIDING PARTITION.

Patented Jan. 5, 1897.

ENTOR out folding or they may be composed of sec- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES BROTCHIE PEACE, OF MANCHESTER, ENGLAND.

SLIDING PAR TlTlON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 574,566, dated January 5, 1897. Application filed July 18, 1896. Serial No. 599,011. (No model.) Patented in England September 5,1892,N0. 15,878.

T0 60% whmn it may concern:

Be it known that LJAMES BROTCHIE PEACE, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Manchester, in the county of. Lancaster, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Movable Partitions, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has been patented in Great Britain under date of September 5, 1892, No. 15,878.

My said invention relates to the class of movable partitions employed to divide a large room or hall into two or more smaller rooms or spaces. Such partitions, which are usually of a heavy and ponderous nature, may either be made simply to slide across the floor withtions or leaves capable of swiveling upon pivots, so as to fold together and against the wall. My invention relates to the hinging together of the leaves or sections of such pivoted, sliding, and swiveling partitions, and also to certain details applicable either to swiveling or non-swiv 'eling partitions;

The said improvements will be most easily understood by a reference to the annexed drawings.

Figure 1 is a general elevation in perspective of a sliding, folding, and swiveling partition, the pivoted leaves or sections being hinged together according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a movable swivelin g partition having its pivoted leaves or sections hinged together. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan of the said hinged swiveling partition in a partly-folded condition. Fig. 4 is an end view of the partition, showing clearly one of the small carriages from which the sectionpivot depends. Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the carriage and foot of the pivot. Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of a simple mode of supporting and guiding the foot of a leaf orsection. Fig. 7 shows an improved bracket and carrier-pulley for supporting the foot of a partition, whether swiveling or non-swiveling. Fig. Sis an outside view showing one of the side shield-plates. Fig. 9 is a sectional view at right angles to Fig. 7. Fig. 10 is a sectional plan taken on A B, Fig. 9, showing the leaf or section partly turned on its pivot. Fig. 11 is a cross-section of the supporting foot-rail upon which the pulley runs.

According to my invention I simply hinge the successive sections to each other in the manner shown in Fig. 1. Here the sections a a, which might be of any number greater than two, are alternately suspended by a central pivot band are hinged together by hinges c. The result is'that the sections a a are providedwith two points of supportd d, so that the sections mutually support each other. Therefore when any one of the couple or train of hinged sections is pushed or pulled along it tows or propels the attached sectioiror sections along with it. The leaves 'or sections thus mutually guide and support each other, so that they cannot cant or jam.

The principle of my invention being thus explained, I may now proceed to illustrate its practical application.

For instance, in Fig. 1 I show a partition composed of eight sections a, hinged together by the hinges e and suspended by pivots from carriages which run in the top beam f, the foot of the sections being guided by projections or rollers entering the groove 9 in the floor. The partition is represented in the act of being folded together or pulled out. It will be noticed that a door a. is made'in one of the sections to admit of passage through the partition when drawn out. The mode of suspending and guiding the sections Will be more apparent from a consideration of Figs. 2 to 5 of the drawings, which represent a smaller partition composed of four sections a, hinged to each other and to the wall. In Fig. 2 the partition is shown drawn across the space to be divided off. In Fig. 3 the same partition is shown in sectional plan partly closed. The suspending-pivots I) extend through the middle of the section, every second section only being furnished with a pivot. This is so because the alternate hinged unpivoted sections are carried and supported by the adjacent pivoted sections, and therefore do not require a pivot. In fact, the partition works more freely when every second section only is pivoted. The upper ends of the pivots I) pass through the block hof the carriages, the said block having pulleys h h, which run on rails 2', laid on strips on a beam j, which extends across the space to be partitioned off. The carriage and its pulleys appear to a larger scale in Fig. 5. The hole in the block through which the pivot passes is made large enough to give clearance and powers of adjustment. J an1 nuts I), screwed on the upper end of the pivot, keep it in place. The foot of the pivot has cast on it a slipper-guide D which slides in a groove g in the floor and keeps the partition straight. The sections are hinged together by the hinges e, and a bolt 7r can be shot into a hole in the floor when the partition is drawn on t, as in Fig. 2, the bolt holding the partition rigid. The end partition (0 appears hinged to the wall in the drawings, but it need not necessarily be so. The sections are hinged so as to fold one upon another and against the wall. I might provide a recess in the wall to receive the folded partition. The carriages 72 are boxed in, as shown, and are therefore protected from dust and are besides unseen. The foot-support appearing in Fig. 6 may be used for a lighter partition supported and guided above and below and having its sections hinged together as described. The shoe Z embraces the foot of the section a and has a pivot-stud l entering the groove in the floor.

It will be evident that it is not essential that the pivots 1) should extend through the whole depth of the sections. For instance, a stud at the top and a stud at the bottom lying in line with each other would constitute a pivot upon which the section would revolve. Nor is it essential that the pivot should be in the center of the section. It might be at one side or edge, and in that case the section nearest the wall, instead of being a half-section, like the section (0 for example, in Figs. 2 and 3, would be a whole section.

Instead of suspending the sections from above by means of the pivot and carriages, as set forth, I might merely steady and guide the sections above by a roller or stud in a groove working in a slot above and support and carry the sections beneath by a pulley running on a rail and carried in a bracket working in a socket let into the foot of the section. An example of such means is illustrated in Figs. 7 to ll of the drawings.

The socket is composed of a sleeve on, bedded in the foot of the partition (1, the sleeve 07?. having formed in one with it a frame m, which is fitted into the section-foot, as clearly Shown in Fig. 7. Screws 71, passing through the flanges m into the wood of the partition a,'help to keep the socket-frame securely in place. The jawed bracket 0 is made to contain the carrying-pulley and is furnished with a pivot 0, which enters the bored sleeve m of the socket. The socket m and the weight of the partition or leaf rest upon the shoulder of the jawed bracket 0, so that if the partition should consist of swiveling leaves or sections the leaf or section can turn easily on the pivot. The periphery of the pulley 1) may be grooved or flat or of any other suitable form and runs upon the part or tread q of a rail Q, which is let into the floorr and is preferably flush with the floor. On each side of the railtread q is a groove q. The sides of the jawed bracket 0 are prolonged downward and are formed on each side with plow-shaped noses 0 which project into the grooves g on each side of the tread q of. the rail.

As the partition is moved backward and forward these plow-shaped noses clear out the grooves q, and by thus keeping the ways clear enable the partition to be moved to and fro without stoppage or hindrance. The plows 0 also bear against the sides of the rail-tread q, and thus keep the pulley and bracket always in line with the rail.

hen the partition is pushed aside or folded against the wall, the only mark visible on the floor is the rail with its two grooves, and as these grooves are comparatively shallow and the main body of the rail is preferably flush with the floor there is nothing of the unsightly and inconvenient pits, channels, or elevated parts in or on the floor which are so objectionable. To box in the jawed bracket and soeket-frame,l apply cover-plates s at the sides, the said cover-plates being preferably dished, as shown in the drawings. The curve of the dished sides is struck from the center of the socket or pivot, the object of the dishing being to provide enough of room to clear the jawed bracket and pulley should the par tition section be swiveled on the pivot, as shown in Fig. 10. The dished plates 3 conceal the pulley and bracket and help to keep dust from the bearings. The upper part of the partition or leaf or section is supported or guided in any suitable or known manner.

I claim as my invention 1. A movable partition for dividing a large room or hall into two or more smaller rooms or spaces composed of a series of sections or leaves reaching from floor to ceiling and hinged to each other each alternate leaf being centrally suspended on a pivot from a traveling carriage above, the foot of the pivot being guided in a groove in the floor and the last half-section being hinged against the wall, substantially as described.

2. A movable partition for dividing a large room or hall into two or more smaller rooms or spaces, composed of a series of sections'or leaves reaching from floor to ceiling and hinged to each other, each alternate leaf being supported centrally at the foot on a pulley carried in a pivoted bracket 0, and means for steadyin g the top of the partition substantially as described.

3. As means for supporting and carrying the hinged swiveling leaves or sections of movable swiveling partitions, the socket m sunk in and combined with each alternate leaf, the jawed bracket 0 formed with prolongations or plows o" and having a pivot to loosely fit the sleeve of the socket m, the pulley p, the grooved rail Q lying flush with the floor and the dished cover-plates s all as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES BROTCl-IIE PEACE.

Witnesses JOSHUA ENTWISLE, RICHARD IBBERSON.

IIO 

